Seychelles president congratulates newly elected Turkish leader

Newly elected Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses supporters from the balcony of the AKP party headquarters during the celebrations of his victory in the presidential election vote in Ankara on August 10, 2014. (AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles President James Michel has sent a congratulatory message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is set to become Turkey’s first democratically elected President following presidential elections held Sunday.

According to the final vote counts, Erdogan, who was the Turkish Prime Minister since 2003, has won 52 percent of the vote.

He is expected to be sworn in on August 28.

In a statement issued this morning, the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Michel described the election as “a clear indication of the confidence the electorate has placed in Mr Erdogan following his years in office as Prime Minister and also demonstrated the people’s conviction in his ability to lead Turkey towards further prosperity and development.”

The Seychellois head of state has also expressed the desire to strengthen existing cooperation and build on the strong ties between Seychelles and Turkey under Erdogan’s leadership while at the same time expressing appreciation to the outgoing Turkish President Abdullah Gull, for the work he had accomplished during his tenure.

“Our two countries have shared a most amicable friendship over the years, based on mutual respect and understanding. We are confident that your successor will carry forth your duties with the same dedication you have displayed throughout your term,” Michel said in a separate message sent to Abdullah Gull.

According to the Turkish authorities’ turnout was 74.12 percent in Sunday’s presidential election.

Now that Erdogan has been confirmed as the new President, the next step is to choose the country’s new Prime Minister.

According to AFP, a spokesman for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has announced that the party would hold an extraordinary congress a day before the inauguration of the newly elected president on August 27 to agree on a new prime minister to replace Erdogan.

In recent years, the role of Turkey’s president has been largely ceremonial but Erdogan has already indicated that one of his primary task in to beef up the presidential powers.